Yarn-tension device



L.T.HOUGHTONI YARN TENSION DEViGE- I APPLICAi'lON FILED MAR. 2. 1920. L I 1A36J3 PatentedNov. 21, 11922.

2 s'HEErs-sHEET 1.

L. T. HOUGHTON.

Rammed Nov. 21, 1922..

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- mw v Z Z. fiwwzz 9 MW: Waess I Patented Nov. ill, 11922..

UNETED @FFlltild.

LEWIS T. HOUGHTON, F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

YARN-TENSION DEVICE.

App1ication filed March 2, 1920. Serial No. 362,868.

T 0 aZZ w/wmitmay concern: gers 0r guides overcomes the increase in Be it known that 1, Lewis T. HOUGHTON, yarn strain and provides a substantially unia citizen of the United States, residing at form tension. The frictional path of the Worcester, in the county of lVorcester and yarn through the guides is decreased as the 5 State of Massachusetts, have invented a new yarn strain increases, and .the quadrantly and useful Yarn-Tension Device, of which weighted pivoted guides provide a coi'istant the following is a specification. uniform weight on the yarn, regardless of The principal objects of this invention their changing pivotal position, thus proare to secure an even tension on the yarn in viding a substantially uniform tension of the 10 a spooler or the like by providing substanyarn during the process of spooling. The

tially the same resistance irrespective of the mechanical structure may be varied to suit speed of the yarn and of the difficulties the work that is required without change in which it encounters in being drawn off the the object of this invention. cop or bobbin on which it is wound, to The invention, although capable of gen 15 cheapen the construction, to eliminate all eral use, is shown as applied to the drawing springs, to make it easy and. practical to obof yarn from a cop 10 to a spool ill. The tain a uniform tension, and especially to mechanism for rotating the spool is not provide a tension which will operate unishown herein as it forms no part of this informly and satisfactorily at excessive speeds. vention, but the spooler is 'I'JIOVltlGLl with the 20 To do this I compensate for any change usual longitudinal traverse rod 12 which is in yarn speed or resistance by changing the designed to support a series of spooler distance apart of the yarn guides and I furguides 32 and corresponding tensioning dether provide a compensating weight for neuvices. A supporting element for one of the tralizing any change in effective weight of cops and its tension device is shown as com- 25 the movable guides and associated parts due prising a metal strip 14- passing over and to change in position. resting on the rod 12. Its lower ends are The invention also involves improvements connected and pressed toward each other by in the yarn guide which directs the yarn a bolt 15, which also connects it with and to the guides. supports a depending upright 16 formed of 30 Further objects and advantages of the insheet metal. This is provided with a slot vention will appear hereinafter. 17 through which passes bolt fastened Reference is to he had to the 'accompanyby a nut 18 to give vertical adjustment to a ing drawings, in which horizontal supporting plate 19 which carries Fig. 1 is an end View of a part of a spoola sheet metal support 20 for a dead spindle 35 ing machine with a preferred embodiment of on which the cop 10 or bobbin is supported this invention applied thereto and shown in in vertical position.

its normal position; On the strip 14. is a depending vertical Fig. 2 is a front view of the same looking sheet metal support 21 located in stationary in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1 position and carrying a series of thread 40 showing one of the tensioning elements, and guides, in this instance comprising two Fig. 3 is a plan as indicated by the arrow fixed horizontal rods Below this it car- 3 in Fig. 2. ries a metal plate 23 which is provided with The yarn in spooling is subjected to many a slot 33 and is adjusted up and down by changes in strain owing to the changes in means of a bolt 84 in this slot. t also has 45 diameter of the spool and of the bobbin or two parallel transverse perforated ears 2% yarn packages that are being spooled, espefurnishing bearings for a shaft 25. Fixed cially in spooling filling-wound bobbins, with respect to this shaft and swinging where the speed of the uncoiling is very with it is a plate 26 which depends from the quickly increased 300% and as quickly deshaft and is provided with a pair of rigid so creased, the diameter of the yarn package tension fingers 27 projecting from the front Varying from '1- an inch to 1.; inches. of it with their outer ends extending down- The tension is adjusted to the desired wardly. In normal position these fingers spool speed and the automatic decrease in are substantially horizontal shown in full tensioning (liStilllCQ between the tension linlines in Fig. 2. The outer ends of the rods 22 are turned u to prevent the yarn running off the ends at igh speed. The ends of the fingers 27 are turned down and back with an ogee curve to cause them to hold the yarn even when they move almost up to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The shaft 25 is provided beyond the front ear 24 with a comparatively heavy handle 28 for use in turning it. This extends substantially at right angles to the depending plate 26. These elements 26, 27 and 28 constitute a rigid unitary structure and are so proportioned that the swinging of the shaft 25, due to the varying lifting tension on the yarn, will not materially affect the weight which is exerted upon the yarn by this whole pivoted structure. In other words it will be observed that, as this pivoted structure is lifted, the moment about the shaft exerted by the fingers 27 and weight 28 decreases while the same motion increases correspondingly the moment of the plate 26. The increase in one compensates for the loss in the other and the combined weight dragging on the yarn tends to remain substantially constant, independently of the angular position of the fingers 27 In this tension device, the amount of tension on the yarn depends on its speed and the vertical distance between the guides 22 and 27. This. distance always depends on two factors, the vertical position of the whole structure carried by the plate 23, and the angular position of the parts carried by the shaft 25.

The maximum distance between the rods 22 and fingers 27, is made adjustable, as

stated, to provide the normal tension desired for the kind of yarn to be wound, and the spool speed. Any increase in speed or resistance tending to increase the tension swings the fingers 27 up and decreases the tensioning space between the guides 22 and 27 and consequently tends to decrease the tension on the yarn. Thus, the normal tension is maintained without varying the weight on the guides 27.

The effective weight on the yarn of the pivoted guides, together with that of the handle 28 and plate 26 being substantially constant for all positions, this maintains the desired or normal tension. It is to overcome changes in tension, caused by variation in yarn velocity, that this structure is pivotally mounted. As these guides with the handle 28 extend substantially at right angles to the weight 26, they form substantially a uadrant, and whether this quadrant is forme by two weights at an angle to each, other, or by a single member occupying the same total space, the amount of effective weight on the pivoted guides is made substantially constant regardless of their angular position. With a constant weight on the guides any increase in tension on the yarn balance the others to reduce the total efraises .these pivoted guides, lessening the space between the guides, and thereby restoring the constant normal tension regard-' less of any increasing velocity of the yarn. This device makes it easy to obtain uniform and accurate adjustment. Further, if the adjustment of the plate 23 should not be quite correct, the automatic changing of'the normal tensioning space compensates for it and restores the normal tension, regardless of changes in speed and the defects in the winding of the bobbins or cops. Any in crease in tension is automatically taken care of, whether caused by increasing yarn speed or increase in resistance to the unwinding of yarn from the bobbin or cop. It will be noted that I use the weight of the pivoted guide fingers to produce tension and add to it by the use of the handle 28, which is really a weight, and then provide the compensating weight 26 for both. All these parts are held up by the yarn and exert some weight on it in all except the extreme position. None of them counter fective weight.

In spooling, the spool speed is alarge factor, providing and controlling the amount of tension. In practice, the velocity of the yarn increases nearly 300% while winding a spool on a common spooler, on account of the increasing diameter of the spool as the yarn is wound on it. To provide a normal tension for a changing velocity of the yarn, many arrangements of springs have been devised. In practice it has been found to be practically impossible to adjust these springs uniformly and when adjusted thus variation in temper and resistance as the springs are compressed or stretched, renders it impossible to maintain a uniform tension on the yarn. They have to be individually adjusted at frequent intervals with consider able expenditure of time. The present device eliminates all springs and their vexatious adjustments and ;-l'1ea. r ens the'costof manufacture.

Furthermore, the increase in yarn. speed and, consequent increase in tension between an empty spool. and a full spool have caused great breakage of yarn. No other tension has successfully overcome this great trouble in spooling yarn. Many mills even use two spoolers with different spool speeds to overcome this great trouble. This difficulty is practically overcome by this invention.

In operation the yarn is guided through the extension device by means of an eye 31 formed on a rod 30 secured to 1 the fixed plate 28 and extending around the end of the same. This eyeis an open depression which is adapted to receive the yarn from the end and is located in proper position for guiding it to the thread guides at a point behind the angular front ends of the 130 same, and this with the open space provided underneath, prevents the yarn from ballooning against other parts of the device, thus further preventing many yarn breaks independent of the adjustment of the plate 23.

in threading the device, the swinging structure col sisting of the parts 26, 27 and 28 is turned up to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This is done by using the arm 28 as a handle.v Now the end of the from the bobbin or cop 10 can be moved upwardly and, without shifting it back and "forth to thread it, it will pass into the eye 31 and over the tops of the rods 22. There is nothing in the way to hinder the placing of the yarn in position in this simple way.

After the yarn is laid on the rods the tens on fingers are swung down from the dotted line position in 15 ig. 2, which brings the yarn down between them, as shown in that figure and 1.

In practice, this pivoted structure plays up and down with the variations in speed and resistance. The tension is found to be so constant that a large percentage of the breaks is avoided and ie winding is rendered comparatively u iitorin. This also permits the unwinding of the yarn in a true axial direction. from a bobbin. or cop below for filling winding which has to be done as uniformly as possible. ihis has proved tobe especially advantageous in practice because the speed can be greatly increaseii, thus increasing the output, and the normal tension desired maintained even at great speeds. The breakage is reduced and the elasticity of the yarn preserved. It also greatly lessens the surfaces on which waste and lint can gather, and locates all such surfaces where the lint cannot interfere with the proper operation of the device.

Although I have illustrated and described the invention as applied to a particular type of spoole" and shown a specific form of the mechanism i am aware of the fact that it can be applied to other types of winding whines and to the winding of thread, yarn, and cord re other than filling yarn, and that iliOCililGllLlOllS can be made in the details of constrnctimi without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited in these respects, but what I do claim is 1. A yarn tension device comprising two series of substantially horizontal guides for receiving and tensioning the yarn between them, one series being pivoted on a transverse axis, and means connected with them for automatically keeping the total weight tending to hold down the pivoted guides substantially constant.

ll. yarn tension device comprising two series oi thread guides, one series being pivoted on a substantially horizontal transverse axis located near their ends and below the other series and having an arm and a weight both projecting from the vicinity of said axis and at substantially right angles to each other for keeping the total. eil'ectivc weight substantially constant in different positions of said pivoted guides.

ll. yarn tension device comprising a series of lined horizontal rods for supporting the yarn in horizontal posi ion while threading, tension lingers r ernating with said rods adapted pass c. wnwardly between them about a horizontal tran. verse pivot for providing the tension, and means for auto matically applying a substantially constant force to said lingers to hold them down, irrespective oit their angular position within substantially a quadrant, said means acting to allow motion o'l. the lingers up and down.

i. A. yarn tension device comprising a series of yarn guides, a parallel series of guides pivoted on a transverse axis and means for equalizing the effective weight tending to hold down the pivoted guides coi'isisting of weights swinging with the pivoted guides and all located substantially within and conslntuting the quad i of a circle having "he guide pivot as its center. 5. A springless yarn tension device comprising a series of fixed yarn guides located in a substantially horizontal plane, a parallel series of weighted guides pivoted on a. transverse horizontal axis at a oistance below the fixer guides, and means for equalizing the effective weight tending to hold down the pivoted guides consisting solely of a weightswinging with the pivoted guides and all located subsaantially within and constituting the quadrant o't circle having the guide pivot as its center.

6. in a yarn tension device, the combination with stationary yarn guide rods, oi. swinging yarn gi'lide fingers cooperating therewith to guide the yarn, said swinging fingers being located in a position to act by gravity to apply a tension to the yarn, additional {means rigidly connected with said lingers or applying tension to the yarn, and a weight at an angle to said means and fingers, but swinging therewith, in a position for further increasing the tension in inverse proportion to the efi ective weight of said means and fingers to compensate for any decrease in their effective weight due to their angular position.

7. A yarn tension device comprising a support, a vertical plate or flange projecting from it, guide rods parallel with the support and located on the plate, a pivoted set of horizontal guide fingers carried under said rods by said support, handle for operating the fingers projecting from the pivot in the same general direction as the fingers, and a. compensating weight swinging with the fingers and handle but Elli) llli til

depending from the pivot leaving an open space below said guides, and a yarn guide eye located below said guide rods and fingers whereby the ballooning of the yarn is confined to said open space.

8. A yarn tension device comprising a support, a vertical plate or fiangeprojecting from it, guide rods parallel with the support and located on the plate, a pivoted set of guide fingers carried under said rods by said support, a handle for operating the fingers projecting "from the pivot in the same general direction as the fingers, and a compensating weight swinging with the fingers and handle but depending from the pivot.

9. in a yarn tension device, the combination with yarn guide rods, of swinging yarn guide fingers located in a position to act by gravity to apply a tension to the yarn, and a weight at an angle to said fingers, but swinging therewith, located in position for further increasing the tension in inverse proportion to the e'li'ective weight of said fingers.

10. A spring-less yarn tension, device comprising a series of fixedyarnguides, a parallel series of guides pivoted on a, transverse axis, means for equalizing the effective weight tending to hold down the pivoted guides consisting of a weight swinging with the pivoted guides and lo cated at a material angle thereto, and means for adjusting said two series of guides toward and from each other to reg ulate the normal tension.

11. A yarn tension. device comprising two series of substantially horizontal guides for receiving and tensioning the yarn between them, one series being pivoted on a transverse axis, and means fixedly connected with them for automatically keeping the total weight tending to hold down the pivoted guides substantially constant, one

series of guides being adjustable as awhole toward and from the other series.

12. In a yarn tension device, the combination oi two series of thread guides for receiving and tensioning the yarn between them, one series of guides being pivoted, whereby the can be turned back away from the other guides at the rear into a position substantially at right angles to the plane thereof, and two weights movable with the movable guides and extending in directions substantially at right angles to each other from the pivot for counterbalancing each other and the movable guides.

13. A yarn tension device comprising rods for supporting the yarn while threading, pivoted tension fingers alternating with said rods adapted to pass between them for providing the tension, and means whereby said fingers are raised by the yarn passing under them and whereby the total weight tending to hold them down will remain substantially constant.

14. In a yarn tension device, the combination with a series of horizontal rods any change in such resistance due to change in position, whereby the effective resistance will remain substantially constant.

In testimony whereof I have hereto afiixed my signature.

LEWIS r. sonar-iron 

